CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday branded United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio the “lord of death and war” over his tough rhetoric on Latin American cartels and vowed to defend against Washington’s “aggression.”

Referring to the US naval build-up in the Caribbean and the recent deadly attack on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, Maduro told reporters that Caracas would “fully” exercise its “legitimate right to defend itself.”

Tensions between longtime foes the United States and Venezuela reached new heights in recent weeks after President Donald Trump dispatched eight warships to the southern Caribbean, near Venezuela, to pressure Maduro.

The United States accuses the leftist leader of heading a cocaine trafficking cartel and recently doubled its bounty for his capture to $50 million.

Earlier this month, US forces blew up a boat with 11 people on board, which Washington claims was operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

In an interview with Fox News during a visit to Jerusalem on Monday, Rubio defended the controversial attack on the boat travelling in international waters, a move questioned by legal scholars.

“We have 100 per cent fidelity and certainty that that boat was involved in that trafficking of those drugs that ultimately were destined to reach the United States of America,” Rubio said.

“What needs to start happening is some of these boats need to get blown up,” Rubio said, claiming the number of boats carrying drugs to the United States had “dropped dramatically” since the missile strike.

At a press conference in Caracas, Maduro said that communications with the Trump administration had “broken down” and levelled much of the blame at the hawkish Rubio.

Speculation has beeswirlingn  in both Caracas and Washington that the Trump administration could be preparing targeted strikes against Venezuelan cartels that Trump has designated terrorist organisations.

Maduro said the “bomb threats” had caused a complete collapse in relations.